Electric drier



Aug. 3 1926.

c. G. GROSS ELECTRIC DRIER Filed April 28 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 gwuemtoz (211"! d fimss Patented Aug. 3, 1 926.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARI: G. GROSS, 0F MOUNT. VERNON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOIR '10 EASTERN LABORA- TORIES, INC., 01 NEW .YOBK, N. Y.

. ELECTRIC DRIER.

Application am April 28, 1925. Serial no. eases.

My invention relates, to an electric drier of the type wherein the function of drying is accomplished by a volume of air delivered by a blower and heated in its passage to the point of use. The particular form in which I choose to illustrate my invention embodies new and useful features whereb the operation and effectiveness is large y' increased and among such features may be mentioned the ability to deliver the air in a multitude of directions according to the position of the object to be dried, an arrangement whereby it is impossible to burn out or damage the device if the delivery of the air should be blocked for any reason, a quick breaking, non-arcing switch and other advantages which will be evident from the following dewhere a volume of heated air is desired tobe directed upon moisture containing ob' scription and drawings. While my invention is primaril directed to an electric drier adapted to per orm the functions of drying the hands or face of a person, it would be equally applicable to avariety of other uses jects or places and where that air. may be directed in the most efficient 'way. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sideelevation, partly broken away, of the cabinet and the complete drier. Figure 2- is a rear elevation, partly broken away, of Figure 1.-' I

Figure 3 is a section showing the hood between the blower the conduit.

Figure 4 is a part section through the outlet showin its connection to the conduit and to the ca inet. Figure 5 is a mechanism; I, Figure 6 is aside elevati n of Fig. 5. in the contacting position.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of Fig. 5 in the non-contactin position. 4

Figure 8 is a vertical section of the resilient switch contacts 4 In "Fig. 1, a cabinet with which I enclose my apparatus is shown at 1 which may have usual supports such as 2, a top piece 3 and a hinged door 4 at the rear tov rovide' ready access, to the interior and t e apparatus.

through one discharge passage and plan view of the switch At 5 is a housin containing a blower fan preferably direct y connected to a motor 6 which in this case may be fixed to the housing 5 and the wholeheld'in place by the supports 7 The blower has an intake 8 which Ishow as a plate having screened openings to exclude matter apt to damage the fan. At 5 is a pet cock or drain which enters into the housing 5 and which may be used to carry off any liquid which may collectin this housing by being poured through the outlet 15 or which may accumulate from other causes so that damage to the blower cannot result from such causes. Afiixed to the discharge passage 9 of the blower is a hood 10 which fits over the discharge passage 9 as shown in Fig. 3 and which also connects with the conduit 11. This hood 10 may be attached in a variety of ways, one of which I show in Fig. 3 where .a collar 12 fits over and is seatedupon the discharge passage 9 and has spacers 13 1 against which the hood 10 is held by screws 14. The attachment of the hood 10 to the conduit 11 may be by several means such as a brazed joint in the case of a metallic conduitor a strapped'joint if a non-metallic conduit is used, or it ma be an integral part of the conduit 11 and ormed from it. At the other end of the conduit 11 is an outlet 15 which I connect to the conduit and cabinet as follows. Attached to the conduit. 11 is a sleeve 16 which registers with an opening in the cabinet 1 (Fig. 4) and 1s held inplace by bolts 17 in this instance so that the conduit is held'in proper position. The outlet 15 has a flange 18 and an extension 19 which fitsinto the sleeve 16; this extension being provided with an annular groove 20 which is arranged to recelve a set screw 01" pin 21 passin through the sleeve 16. Therefore while t e outlet 15 is firmly affixed to the conduit 11, .it can be revolved rected. to any selected point accordin 1y.

I By providing an adjustable outlet, a furt er flexibility could be obtained in a direction normal to the illustrated plane of rotation. In

the discharge passage 9 of the blower is a heating element 22 (Figs. 1 and 2) over and through which the air must pass and which which has an exten will be heated accordingly. This heating element may be one of many usual types that are electrically heated but in the presentinstance I prefer to use one similar to the one illustrated in my co-pending application for an electric hair drier, Serial Number 749,691 filed November 13, 1924. It Would be equally satisfactory and, in some instances preferable to. locate the heating element at some point in the conduit 11 such as at.22' In such case the other heating element 22 might or might not be used so that I am not limited to the location of the heating element nor to the use of a. single one;

the particular arrangement or location be ing dependent upon circumstances.

The leads (not shown) for supplying current to the motor 6 and the heating'element 22 come from the switching mechanism shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7; this mechanlsm controlling the operation of both the motor and the heating element. The switch ing mechanism comprises a base 23 which carries two sets of supports 24 and 25. To the supports 24 is ivoted a foot pedal '26 ding lug 27 with pins 28 and a slotted end 29. To the supports 25, is pivoted a switch arm 30 having one end engaging the slotted end 29 of the foot pedal 26 by means of the pin 31 and the other end carrying contacts 32 and 33. On this arm are also laterally extending pins 34. These pins 34 and the pins 28 have extending between them, the extension springs 35 and 36. The contacts 32 and 33 are adapted to seat on corresponding contacts one of which is hown at 37; these contacts being mounted in a supplementary base plate 38 held to this, main base 23 in any customary m. nner such as the bolts and nuts 39 (Fig: 8). Leading to these contacts on the supplementarybase 38 are the conductors 40 which come from the (posts 41 and 42; the former being connecte to one of "the main feed wires 43 while the other feed wire 44 goes to a separate post 45. Across the contacts 32 and 3.3 is a conductor 46 which acts to place these contacts in series with the con-- ductors 39 and.40. From the posts 41 and 45 leads the circuit of wires 47 and 48 and in parallel with this circuit is a second one composed of the wires 49 and 50. One of these circuits leads to the motor 6 and the other to the heating element 22 (Fig. 1) so that It will be seen that the contacts .32 and 33 being in series with the circuits (the wires 44 and 48 being a common wire toboth the feed and operating circuits) the switch will control both the heating element and the motor. The contacts 31 and '32 are illustrated in Fig. 8, where the switch arm 30.

has a nonconducting insert 51 held in place by a screw 52. Passing through and having a bearing in this insert is a conducting piece 53 with an enlarged end 54 to correspond with the contact 37 The nuts 55 and 56 on the conducting piece 53 not only serve to hold the conductor 46 but also provides a sto for the limited motion of the piece 53 n er the action of the spring 57 compressed between the insert 51 end 54.

In the operation of my invention, the apparatus is normally at rest with the switch mechanism in the position shown in Figures 1 and' 7. .When it is desired to use the drier, the outlet 15 is turned to the required position such as might be downward for drying the hands or upward for drying the face and the foot pedal 26 depressed. This causes the contacts 32 and 33 to close the and the enlarged.

circuits to the motor 6 and the heating eleswitch member 30 and thus break the contacts to shut ofi the current to the motor and heating element. The detail action of the switch mechanism is as follows, see Figs.

6 and 7. When the foot pedal 26 is de pressed, the springs 35 and 36 are extended and the switch arm 30 is pivoted in its support 25 by the action of the pin 31 in the slotted end 29; this pin resting in the lower part of that slot. As the downward motion of. the foot pedal 26 continues, it passes through the point where the springs 35 and; 36, the pivots in supports 24 and 25 andthe pin 31 are in a straight line. As this point of dead center is passed the springs have a leverage u on the switch arm 30 which is accentuate by the pin 31 going tothe top of the slotted end 29 and this leverage allows the springs to throw the switch a'rm quickly downward with accelerated motion upon the contacts shown as at 37 and all tendency for arcing to occur in the closing operation is obviated. The switch is then in the position shown in Fig. 6. When the pressure on the. foot pedal 26 is released, the slotted end 29 drops under the action of the springs 35 and 36 andcarries with it the pin 31 of the switch a-rm' 30, This raises the contacts 32 and 33 but the contact 37 and the enlarged end 54 remain togethermomentarily due to the spring 57 (Fig. 8). This momentaryperiod of travel, which is equal'to the.time of travel of the arm 30 between 51 and 55 of Fig. 8, allows the switch arm 30 to gather speed and when the separation of contacts occurs by the insert 51 abutting the nut 55, it comes sharply and evenly so that there is practically no ing operation.

The speed of travel of the contact 32 is a function of the ratios of leverage of the foot pedal 26 and the arm 30 so that these may be adjusted to the maximum practical speed of the. contact 32 and the distance between 51 and 55 so proportioned that no breaking of the contacts occurs until the springs 35 and 36 are past the dead centers of the. foot pedal 26 and arm 30 so that the breaking is sharp and no arcing takes place.

7 The upward travel of the foot pedal 26 and the switch arm 30 continues until they assume the position shown in Fig. 7. Therefore thisswitch mechanism provides a positive, rapid and eflt'ective quick breaking device of obvious and advantage to which may be added the one that by having contacts such as 32 and 33 in series a doubling of that I contacting occurs which is a further deterrent to arcing and conducive to proper operation of the switch. It will be noted that the hood 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive has a distinct function as a safeguard. Vvlere the conduit 11 directly attached to the discharge passage 9'of the blower and the blower going, a stoppage in the conduitsuch as a hand placed over the outlet 15 would stop the flow of air but not the accumulation of heat from the heating element 22 and it would follow that the accumulated heat would tend toburn out or otherwise damage the apparatus. By placing this hood 10 as I do, the air can esca e from it in the event of a block in the con uit 11 and the blower continue to run without danger 3 of damage.

From the'foregoing it will be clear that, wh le I have described my-invention in its preferred form, many chan es and variations may be made without eparting from variations I desire to include wit scope of my claims.

the spirit thereof and all such changes and in the I claim 2- 1. In an electric drier, the combination of a blower having a discharge passage, a conduit covering t e assage and spaced therefrom, and a heata blower havin a discharge passage, a conduit covering t e end of said discharge passage and spaced.therefrom, a heating element, and a revolvable outlet on the. outer end 'of'said conduit.

3. In an electric drier,v the combination with a blower havinga dischar e passage, "and a heating element, of a con nit having a revolvable outlet on one'end and on the other end a hood 'ada ted to extend downwardly over the disc arge' passage of the blower. I a 1 1 4. Infian electric drier, the combination carr ing resi ient contacts adapt end of said discharge of a blower, having a heating element associated therewith, a motor to drive the blower and switchingmechanism to control the motor and the heating element which comprises a pivoted foot pedal adapted to actuate a pivoted switch arm, a tensionspring connecting the two and so positioned as to accelerate the movement of the switch arm toward its contacting position and normally to hold the switch arm inoperative.

6. In an electric drier the combination of a blower having a heating element associated therewith, a conduit to conduct the blower discharge to a given point and means between said blower and said conduit to permit escape of the blower discharge in the event of a stoppage in the conduit.

7. In combination with a drier having a motor, a blower and a heating element associated with said blower, a switch mechanism common to said motor and said heating element for controlling said motor and said heating element and comprising a pivoted actuating member, a pivoted switch arm engaged by said actuating member, a tension nected therewith, a hooded conduit covering.

the. discharge passage of the blowerand having its other end terminating 'in a revolvable outlet, a switching mechanism to control the blower and the heating element; said switchin mechanism includln meags to e acce erated in the contact making and breaking movements by positive means connecting the contacting car ing means andthe actuating means there or. V

9. In an electric drier,.a blower having a discharge outlet, a hood over the discharge outlet of the blower and a conduit leading from said hood'to a desired oint.

10. In a drier, means to ischarge a vol-" 7 ume of air through a discharge passage,

means to receive that volume of air and having an opening larger than said discharge passage and means to conduct the air from the receivin meansto a given point.

' 11. In a rier, a'blowe'r, a, hooded member and a conduit, said hooded member having an o. ening larger than the discharge .outlet 0 the blower and arranged to receive the air tlerefrom and divert it to said conduit.

12.111 ahelectriodrier, a blower, a conduit, 'a hood over the dischar e outlet of said let of said blower and adapted to receive the blower and connected to said conduit and a discharge thereof. heating element in said conduit adapted to In testimony whereof, I have signed my 10 heat the air from said blower. 1 name to this specification this 20th day of 13. In an electric drier, a blower and :1 April, 1925.

conduit, said conduit having an end enlarged beyond the area of the discharge out- CARL G; GROSS. 

